Angel Heart (Ianthony AU)

Chapter Eighteen: The Pool.

~Ian's POV~

Anthony was looking at me a lot as we ate dinner, and I couldn't quite grasp why until he actually asked me the question he was thinking of. "Ian, have you ever been swimming?" 

I tilted my head, eyes squinted as I tried to think if I'd heard the word. I had, but I didn't quite get the purpose of why it was supposed to be fun. "No, why do you ask?"

"Well, this apartment building has an indoor pool. I thought you might be interested or whatever," Anthony said, looking hopeful I would agree. 

"Well I don't know how, but I'd still like to." 

He clapped his hands together loudly, getting up from his chair to dart down the hall. I waited patiently for him to come back, tapping my fingers against the tabletop as I sat. He reappeared a few minutes later, changed into an odd looking pair of shorts and carrying some towels. "What are you waiting for Ian? Your shorts are in your room." 

I got up from my seat, walking out of the kitchen and down the hall to go change. I was worried about swimming, what if I die? No, Anthony wouldn't let that happen.

~

It was bigger than I thought. A large amount of unnaturally blue water in the shape of a rectangle and smelling of strange chemicals was what the pool consisted of. 

Anthony set our towels down on a small chair by the poolside, grabbing the hem of his shirt and lifting it over his head. I tried to avoid looking (I did) but I found it impossible to when he looked so good. My throat felt so dry upon seeing him that I felt like I wouldn't be able to swallow. But I dragged my gaze away before he could see, fiddling with the bottom of my own shirt. "Do I have to take mine off?" I asked, not so sure about that idea.

He gave me a reassuring smile as he stepped closer to put a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to if you don't want to. But it's only us here and shirts get very heavy and uncomfortable to swim in. But, like I said, it's totally up to you." 

I smiled shyly, pulling my shirt off over my head before I could even think about it. Anthony gave me a quick pat to my shoulder, leading me over to what he referred to as "the shallow end". He walked in, holding me by the elbow to make sure I followed. The water was a comfortable temperature, which was a relief. But it was hard to walk through, making me feel like I was being held back at every step. 

Anthony stopped once the water reached our hips. "Okay Ian so you swim like this." He let himself fall onto his stomach, waving his arms and legs in a continuous motion. "This is called doggy-paddling. It's how kids swim at first, but I figure you should try it out." He got his feet back under him, putting a hand on my stomach. "Get on your stomach and I'll help you stay up until you get the feel of it."(A.N.: That just sounded wrong, omfg.) 

I did what I was instructed, letting his hand support me as I moved my arms and legs like he'd demonstrated. The feeling was strange, and I'd probably be scared if I had to do this on my own. But I began to have fun when he let me go, allowing me to move on my own around the shallow end as I learned how to do this without drowning. It didn't even bug me that Anthony could see my scar-marred back, I was just focusing on enjoying new experiences.

After enough time, Anthony allowed me into the deep-end, where your toes couldn't even get close to the bottom. He told me to stick close to the edge so I could grab on if I got too tired, but he stayed by my side anyway as I made my way around the edges of the whole pool.

And then Anthony wanted to act like children, he wanted to play around. He guided me after him back to the shallow end, stopping once our feet could easily touch the bottom. "You're gonna sit on my shoulders, okay?" I furrowed my eyebrows, not seeing how this could be classified as fun, but nodded anyway as he ducked under the water.